Stranded travelers sing 'I Believe I Can Fly'

Frustrated Allegiant Air passengers spent 5 hours on tarmac in Vegas

Dozens of frustrated Allegiant Air passengers bound for Phoenix belted out a 1990s hit after being stuck in Las Vegas for hours.

A video posted on YouTube by Dustin Kaelberer showed the passengers singing the R Kelly hit "I Believe I Can Fly" after being stuck on two planes at McCarran International Airport for about five hours.

"Pretty much everybody was just, if you don't laugh about it, you cry," Kaelberer told Las Vegas TV station KVVU.

Kaelberer said he boarded the first plane at 10:30 a.m., expecting an 11:10 a.m. departure for Phoenix. He said the first plane was pushed back and sat on the tarmac for about 45 minutes before it was pulled back to the terminal, but the passengers did not get off the aircraft.

The first plane was pushed back a second time and again sat on the tarmac for about a half hour before it was pulled back to the terminal, he said. This time the passengers were allowed to exit.

About 40 minutes later, the passengers boarded a second plane, pushed back and again sat on the tarmac for about a half hour, Kaelberer said.

He said the second plane was pulled back to the terminal, and passengers were kept on the plane. He said about an hour after boarding the second plane, it was pushed back and finally took off for Phoenix.

Kaelberer said that while stuck on the plane, there was no air and several passengers became ill. He said some passengers even asked for water, and they were told there was no water on the airplane.

"People were getting nose bleeds, they were throwing up in the bathrooms because of the heat," Kaelberer told KVVU.

The high temperature in Las Vegas on Sunday was 110 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.

It was during the final pushback that one of the passengers began playing "I Believe I Can Fly" on his phone, Kaelberer said.

Instead of getting angry about their ordeal, the passengers decided to laugh it off and vent their frustrations by singing along.

Kaelberer said the passengers were promised compensation for their ordeal, but he has yet to receive it.

Brian Davis, spokesman for Allegiant Air, said the flight was delayed about four hours and passengers were stuck on the aircraft for two stretches of more than an hour.

He said there was air on the plane but it wasn't at full power. He did admit it got quite warm onboard.

Davis said passengers were provided free beverages on the airplane and a $100 credit for future travel with Allegiant.

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